Electrical display system



Oct 20, 1936. J. w. HARRINGTON 2,057,660

ELECTRICAL DI SPLAY SYSTEM Filed July 22, 1935 INVENTOR, Jaw/2 Wflar/ /hy/wz ATTORNEYS,

Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,057,000 ELECTRICAL DISPLAY SYSTEM John W. Harrington, Kansas City, Mo., assignor of one-tenth to W. H. L watts, one-tenth to William I. Potter, and fifteen per cent to James V. Harrington, all of Kansas City, Mo.

Application July 22, 1935, Serial No. 32,580

1 Claim.

This invention relates to electrical display systems wherein is employed a length of gaseous conduction tubing which is customarily formed to present indicia making up an intelligent message so that the same may be used in advertising or display work, and the primary object of the invention is to provide such an. electrical display system having unique and novel means whereby the same may be operated entirely from a low potential direct current source such as the ordinary battery of the type used in automotive work.

One of the important aims of this invention is the provision of an electrical display system of the aforementioned type that will possess the qualification of suitably and effectively illuminating the gaseous conduction tubing in a manner similar to the results obtained when the tubing is connected to power lines having an output of 110 or 220 volts such as is now used commercially in neon sign work.

One of the important objects of this invention is the provision of means in the electrical'display system-for converting low potential direct current to a high voltage alternating current for the purpose of effectively illuminating the gaseous conduction tube of the system which converting means includes a novel circuit having a primary and secondary transformer coil therein, which insures evenly illuminating a relatively great 80 length of tubing and also insures that such illumination shall be constant and without objectionable flicker.

A yet further object of the present invention is the provision in an electrical display system of the character described of a transformer and gaseous conduction tubing, the former being combined in such a way with the latter that the tubing is illuminated and caused to present a desirable unit on the display panel of the system.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of gaseous conduction tubing for electrical display systems which has as a part thereof, a coating of reflecting material disposed in a manner such as will render the display panel of the system usable when the tubing is not illuminated.

Many minor objects will appear during the course of the following specification referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view of an electrical display system. made in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, detailed, fragmentary 55 sectional view through a gaseous conduction tube showing the employment of reflecting material as contemplated by this invention.

The electrical display system made to embody the present invention is particularly adapted for use on automobiles where only the ordinary 6 volt 5 battery is available as a source of electrical energy. The sign panel 4 may be mounted as desired and adapted to carry a length of gaseous conduction tubing 6 that is of the ordinary wellknown typev and which may be filled with gas such as neon 10 or that found to be practical to produce lights of. various colors. The tube has an electrode: 8'' at each end thereof and wires in and II respectively connect electrodes 8 to the ends of a secondary transformer coil it which receives induced curl5 rent from primary coil l6 when the transformer including the two, is in operation.

A battery l8 of the aforesaid nature may be of the conventional type so far as its potential 7 direct current output isconcerned and in order to properly stepup the electrical output of battery l8, the transformer having primary and sec-. ondary coils l6 and I4 respectively, must have illuminated core 20 about which primary coil I6 is wound. This core 20 may consist of a large 25 number of lengths of soft iron wire bundled together to present a core substantially one-half inch in diameter. Primary coil It may be made of 16 gauge wire and it has been found commercially practical to employ 124 turns of this wire.

Secondary coil i4 is of finer gauge insulated wire suitably positioned about primary coil It and insulated therefrom.

In order to properly combine the gaseous conduction tubing with battery It, the transformer having primary and secondary coils l6 and it respectively, must have means for alternately passing direct electrical current through the primary coil in opposite directions whereby a high potential alternating current is induced in the secondary coil it of the transformer. Ordinary transformers have heretofore been found unsatisfactory in stepping up a low potential direct current because of objectionable flickering and dull lengths being present in tubing 6. To overcome these objections and others, primary cofl It has a connection to battery I! from a point centrally intermediate its ends. This connection is by means of wire 22 and the other side of the battery I8 is intermittently connected with the outer ends of primary coil it through the operation of a two-pole vibrator 24 which is interposed in the circuit, as follows: vibrator arm 26, having opposed contact points 28 and I0, is rigidly attached to a frame or other suitable support 32, whilethe free end thereof is provided with a weight 88 which serves as an armature. Weight 88 is normally disposed in the magnetic field of an electromagnet 88 and when at rest is spaced apart therefrom. Vibrator arm 28 is connected by wire 38 to one side of battery l8 and to one end of the coil of'electro-magnet 38 by wire 88. The other end of the coil of electro-magnet 38 is connected to wire 42 by wire 84. It'will be observed from the drawing, that the wire 42 connects one end of primary coil l8 with a contact member" that is located so that it will be intermittently contacted by contact point 88 during the oscillation of arm 28. The other end of coil 18 is connected to a contact member 48 through the medium of wire 80. A condenser 81 is positioned in a line 88 which interconnects wires 42 and 88.

Secondary coil I8 is connected with electrodes 8 of tube 8 by means of wires 48 and I! as before mentioned and a switch 88 is provided in line 38 to control the flow of current from battery l8. As will be observed from the foregoing, the combined transformer and converter is provided for the purpose of properly supplying current to tube 8 and the action of this member of the system may be described as follows; low potential direct current from battery I8 passes through wire 88 to the coil of electro-magnet 38,.thence through wires 48 and 82 to one end of primary coil 18, thence to wire 12 back to battery I 8. This action energizes the coil of electro-magnet 88 and causes weight 88 to be moved downwardly to form a contact between points 80 and 88, after which weight 38 will rebound sufficiently to close contacts 28 and 88 so that current from battery 18 will pass into primary coil N from the opposite end thereof.

Obviously from the foregoing, it will be apparent that current from battery i8 will alternately pass from opposite ends of primary coil ii to tap wire 22 thereby causing a reversal of the current in the secondary coil II. This coil and the remainlng parts of the transformer is so constructed as to step up the voltage of the initially low potential direct current to a point that is ample to illuminate tube 8.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the use of a multi-section primary coil will positively avoid flickering and dim lengths in tubing 8 and it is believed that so combining a transformer and conve r as aforementioned, produces a novel result not heretofore obtained.

Tube 8 is specially formed in that there is provided thereon a coating of reflecting material 88 that is opaque in character and which serves to reflect the light rays from within tube 8 forwardly and outwardly from sign panel 8. As will be observed from Fig. 2, this coating covers that portion of tube 8 immediately adjacent sign panel 4 and should extend substantially half way around tube 8 from a point where a central vertical plane a through tube 8 intersects the upper surface thereof to a point where said plane intersects the lower surface of the tube.

This coating or partial covering of tube 8 assists in rendering the sign more visible and therefore practical when the same is not glowing. The use of reflecting material along tube 8 serves to render the sign more brilliant at night when tube 8 has current passing therethrough.

It has been found practical to coat a portion of tube 8 with silver or the like and then to protect this coating by a covering of opaque material such as lacquer that will not only render the silver opaque, but will protect the same against the weather.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In an electrical display system having a gaseous conduction tube with an electrode at each end thereof; a low voltage direct current source; a transformer having a secondary coil in circuit with said electrodes, said transformer having a primary coil, a pair of spaced contacts, a vibratory spring positioned between the contacts, one end of the spring being connected to one side of said source, the other side of said source being connected to a central point of the primary, the ends of the primary coil being connected respectively to said contacts, said spring when in vibration being arranged to touch said contacts alternately to energize the respective halves of the primary coil, a solenoid associated with said spring to cause the spring to alternately touch said contacts,

said solenoid being in circuit with said source,-

said spring and one of said contacts to cause successive de-energizations of the solenoid, and a single condenser in shunt with the primary coil and adapted to be charged during energization of either half of the primary coil.

JOHN W. HARRINGTON. 

